The seasons flip

It feels like April went by in a blink, and then suddenly, we’re halfway through May. I’m way behind on my updates, so bear with me.

The end of the school year is on the horizon, but not as imminent as most American schools. We still have six weeks of school remaining until summer break. And little by little, I feel like our summer plans are taking shape.

Our first 7.5 months here, we didn’t leave lreland at all— not once. This was good to immerse ourselves in the culture and get settled in a routine. But now, it feels like the sun’s come out and we’re switching modes. We’re spending more time outside, taking day trips where we can, and planning to travel more this summer.

The seasonal shift is also noticeable here in Cork— many of the Irish have switched to wearing shorts (not even 60° F) and we’re hearing more and more American accents out and about as tourism picks up. Cruise ships are docking in the harbour again, and a few festivals are coming up in the city.

After the winter, I was really ready to go somewhere. So we did!

One of the best things about living in Europe is access to other European countries, right? While we are a little isolated from the mainland (a literal island), the UK is our closest neighbour and the easiest and cheapest place to go.

Over Easter, our whole family spent five days in London. The kids have never been, and Ross and I had not been for over 20 years, so I was very excited! It’s one of my favourite cities in the world, and my sister and her husband currently live there. We took the tube absolutely everywhere (with a few bus and water taxi rides sprinkled in). Everything is tap to pay and kids under 11 ride for free, which I love!

Since we were with family and our kids have limited capacity for long tours or museums, our itinerary didn’t hit all the typical tourist spots like Buckingham Palace. Instead, we did:

• Walking around all the major sights: Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square.

• Kensington Palace & Gardens (We actually meant to do the Tower of London this day, but didn’t pre-book and it sold out! Ooops. While the Princess Diana playground was closed for renovations 😞, Zoe said the palace was her favourite thing because she got her own audio guide.)

• The Postal Museum, very kid-friendly and hands-on, where you can ride the underground mail train that operated underneath London through the 1990s.

• Horizon 22, a free viewing platform above the city that’s even taller than the famous Sky Gardens.

• Seeing Hadestown on the West End (sisters night, no kids or husbands).

• Taking an Uber boat out to Greenwich Park, where we visited the National Maritime Museum and the views from the Royal Observatory.

• Took a cable car ride over the Thames! This is a fraction of the cost of the London Eye, and I 10/10 recommend.

• Lots of local playgrounds, including the peaceful Paddington Recreation Grounds near my sister’s flat, and ice cream every day.

I already have a list for things I want to do when we go back to London.

Then later in April, I took a quick work trip by myself to Manchester. I flew out of Cork early on Tuesday morning and returned Wednesday night. Including airport time, it just took 4 hours from door to door to get there. There’s a quick and convenient train that gets you into city for just £5. The second day, I attended a conference, but the first day, I just got to explore.

Central Manchester is really compact and walkable. It feels like a young city with good energy, several universities, and a good beer scene, and beautiful architecture. I didn’t make it to the Man U or Man City stadiums, but I saw them from the train. And of course, I checked out their incredible library and free art museum. I stayed at an apartotel with a cute coworking space/café/bar, which was a fantastic spot to hang out for a few hours. My flights were only €30, so I was encouraged that quick trips to explore the UK are totally doable and affordable.

So here’s to the sunny season, and to future travel ahead!